Monday 5 December 2011

Magical Groups in Toutus

The College of Magic in Brandir is based on the members of the College of Magic in Erkhart who fled the city with whatever they could carry during the Summoning. Although the new capital of Teiglin is now Thaldion, Brandir was chosen because one mage who was instrumental in the evacuation had a magic carpet that was attuned to flying back to the mage's home in Brandir town. This carpet became a vital shuttle between doomed Erkhart and Brandir, helping both mages and books to escape.
The College of Magic still fulfils its primary role of educating new generations of magically gifted youngsters in magic use. The grand town house in Brandir has numerous classrooms, and there are 15 teaching mages and usually about 60 pupils and apprentices at any one time. There are also 5 research mages who, as their titles suggest, prefer not to deal with annoying teenagers but delve deeper into the mysteries of magic, both investigating rare spells, and occasionally creating new spells of their own.


The Students of Gerontium in Maquosmouth are the human defenders of the abandoned city. They are former pupils of Gerontium, a mage of great power and expertise in creating golems and animated statues, and they use such constructs as their main weapons against the hordes of chaos that have invaded the city.


The Magocracy of Najask is the ruling elite of this northern city. There is a ruling council of 10 mages, each of whom has a few apprentices serving under them for 45 magic users in total. Although the Magocracy has elements of a college (some mages used to be teachers of magic before the Summoning), the focus has now shifted to governing the city and protecting it from the forces of chaos. The Magocracy tries to keep good relations with both the clerics of the city and the warriors in the city guard but mages are not the easiest of folk to work along side, and friction will occur.
The Magocracy can be quite tough with visiting mages - they are expected to present themselves to the authorities, and then to behave themselves while visiting. Trying to disguise spellcasting abilities can be treated as badly as spying or subversion, while unauthorised spellcasting, especially if there is damage done, is dealt with harshly. If townsfolk are killed because of an unauthorised fireball or lightning bolt, the mage will be wanted for murder. 


The Guild of Wizards is a small but interesting guild in Walrus City. They are mages for hire, who help out when others need magical advice and assistance. Unlike traditional guilds, the Guild of Wizards functions as a single company with individual mages as partners. The Guild of Wizards has made a speciality of using spells such as Move Earth, Woodform, Stoneform, Wall of Stone and Disintegrate for large construction projects, which has upset some of the more traditional guilds such as the Masons and the Carpenters guilds. There are only 6 mages in the Guild of Wizards, but they are all powerful enough to warrant the title Wizard.


The Keepers of the Iron Tower are found in the Varreshiss Island of Serridor. They live alongside the elves who share an interest in arcane matters. Before the Summoning the Iron Tower started off as a neutral meeting-place between elves and men, and it was often magic users who negotiated with the elves. Over time, the Iron Tower also became an informal meeting place for magic users, and the Keepers of the Iron Tower were formed to keep meetings peaceful. Since the Summoning and collapse of the Varreshiss Duchy, the Iron Tower has become a refuge to all sorts of mages. Some mages use it only temporarily, when they need to meet someone at the Iron Tower, or when they wish to avoid something or someone in their homeland. The Keepers of the Iron Tower are twelve mages who are permanent residents looking after the tower and providing hospitality and security. 
Visitors to the Iron Tower are not just restricted to those of the Varreshiss Island - members of the Magocracy of Najask and other mages of the Walrus Freehold will visit the Iron Tower as a meeting place or refuge, and members of the College of Magic in Brandir are aware of the Iron Tower even if they don't go there often. 





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